The Ten Steps to Changing Feelings
by Shadow-Dancer1
Summary: Lily the tomboy. James the annoying guy that gets on her nerves. The last year of school. Lots more pranks than you ever imagined! And. . .Through all the hatred, will romance begin to spring up?


A/N: Well, here it is! The prologue to my story. I hope you people enjoy this :'(. I would like atleast five reviews at the least? Please please please? :)   
Disclaimer: *coughs* this goes for the rest of the chapters as well, 'cause I don't feel like writing it again: I do not own J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter. I only own Jessica and maybe a few other characters later on. So don't sue me, 'cause I ain't got nothin.'  
  
  
  
Prologue  
  
  
  
  
  
  
As I look upon my life today, I realize how happy I am. I have a little baby boy not one year old and a wonderful husband. Despite all the terrible things happening on the outside of the world, I feel calm and peaceful within. But. . .But it wasn't always like that.   
  
My husband. . .Tall, handsome, dark, with those livid, chocolate brown eyes that warm your soul, were once filled with such hatred and rage towards me. The unruly, jet black hair that I can run my hands through freely now was even wilder in the past and I wouldn't dare touch it for the life of me, being too disgusted--at that point in time, of course.   
  
My days back then were adventurous and so emotional. So much teenage hormones flying about. Death, happiness, pain, hurt, suffering, anger, sadness, confusion, and loss. . .They all mixed in. I could jump from one to the other in less than a day. Amazing, isn't it, what things can make you feel so tall and well-respected, then tear you down to a vulnerable nobody, becoming the laughing stock of the century. Pranks, rumors, hurtful words. . .  
  
I can gaze into my reflection and see a beautiful twenty-five-year old, with long, auburn hair and dazzling, green eyes, filled with social grace and an outgoing personality, along with the smarts of life. But, when I was just a seventeen-year-old, all that was the complete opposite. The word Potter was like a deadly curse--speak the name with as much venom as you could muster. Funny now, how I carry the name that I despised the most.   
  
I walk to the attic and pull out an old and worn black trunk. My fingers trace the edge delicately and I open it. Cobwebs cover the inside and dust poofs up. I cough slightly, then blink, and pull out an old spell book and a ticket I had once saved for the hell of it. 'Platform 9 and 3/4.' I smile faintly as I gaze at it and almost immediately memories resurface.   
  
The scarlet Hogwarts Express looms into view as my last year of school comes back to mind. I feel somehow excited, yet somehow disappointed that I'll be leaving the security and the warm feeling of home I had experienced so long. Kids laugh and carry their own trunks and owls as they look for compartments on the train, racing back and forth, owls, cats, frogs, and whatnot following them about. The whole magical world comes into full view as I step through the invisible barrier to the Muggle eye (non-magical people). My hair shortens from mid-back length to tips brushing against my ears. My well-manicured nails become bitten at and plain. I shrink to 5'3" and my dress becomes blue jeans and a big t-shirt. My years of gained wisdom vanish from my eyes along with the brightness and love to be replaced by dullness and the sense of being bored.   
  
Staring out at the cool, fall sky, I sit back and let myself remember one of the most fondest years of my life.   
  
  
  
  
  
I chewed my gum loudly, not caring for the smacking sound that oh-so-much annoyed my mother, and rolled my eyes. Ooo. . .What fun. Coming back to another life of those damn numbskulls annoying the crap out of me. Huffing, I picked up my trunk and slowly begin to drag it towards the compartment at the end of the train after telling my mum goodbye. She left because my wretched sister Petunia had a dentist appointment to be getting to. I couldn't help but add bitterly under my breath: "Typical."  
  
"Lils!" came a sing-song voice.   
  
I whirled around to be pulled into a tight embrace by my friend.  
  
"Ah!" I cried. "Let go of me!"   
  
She did so, and smiled, grinning goofily at me. "I see you haven't managed to change yet. Still the tomboy we all know."  
  
"Yeah, well. . ." I sighed.   
  
She frowned slightly, looking around. "I haven't seen Potter's posse of four yet. . .Wonder where they are. . .?"  
  
I looked at her skeptically. "Do you honestly care?"  
  
She blushed faintly, scratching the back of her neck. "Well, no, not really."  
  
"Oh, geeze, don't tell me you still have that crush on Lupin?" I stared at her in exasperation, hands on my hips, tapping my foot.   
  
"W-well, n-no," she began, raising her hands up and shaking them.   
  
I gave her a pointed look, raising an eyebrow.   
  
"I don't!"   
  
I smiled, shaking my head. "Whatever you say, Jess."  
  
Jessica Jones was a girl two inches taller than me with long, chestnut brown hair and merry, chestnut brown eyes with green rings tinting the color of them. Right now, her hair was pulled back into a long braid that swung to her hips, and she brushed her bangs behind her ears in irritation. She wore a white blouse and black kahkis with a small jacket over her shoulders to ward off the slight chill.   
  
"Man, Lils, just let it drop," she mumbled, eyes downcast.   
  
I laughed, swatting her arm playfully. "C'mon, girl, I was just kidding! Don't get yourself up in a wad, alright? Please, for my sake, remain sane and not as girlish as them." I pointed towards a mob of populars, laughing and giggling, discussing the latest fashions. I pretended to gag.  
  
She smiled.   
  
"Come on, let's go get that compartment before those stupid gits get to it first."  
  
Ever since our first year James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and their tag-a-long Peter Pettigrew had always fought with us for the back compartment. They wanted it to discuss their pranks and hide from the helpless victims, but we just wanted it to piss them off. At first, it had been the only one left as I had been late (Jessica as well, I had found at later, and we became great friends). Now, it was just a thing to do before we got to school. Something we'd cackle about because they'd always lose the compartment to us. Hey, we were girls, and I may be the greatest tomboy that ever lived, but we had our ways.   
  
Quickly, we gathered up our things, along with Jessica's black cat, Gazer, and shuffled into the compartment.   
  
Jessica sat down by the window and I took the seat diagnolly across from her. Propping our feet up, we pulled out our books, (mine a sports biography on a famous Quidditch player, hers a fantasy novel), and began to read, counting down in our minds.   
  
Ten. . .Nine. . .Eight. . .Seven. . .Six. . .Five. . .Four. . .Three. . .Two. . .One. . .  
  
The door to our compartment slid open and four laughing figures stumbled in.   
  
"Hahaha! Shoulda seen the look on Snape's face, Wormtail!" came a deep, tenor voice that belonged to none other than Sirius Black. He rubbed his hands together, grinning gleefully, black eyes bright and excited as his black hair was swept back into a ponytail.   
  
My eyebrows narrowed in thought. They always called each other by nicknames, yet no one understood what they meant, so we just left it alone and referred to their last names. That's how unworthy they were to us.   
  
"Ah, sorry my friends, I got here late. . ." came the sorrowful voice of Peter as his shoulders slumped, I noticed, by peering over my book. His blue eyes were small and watery and a mop of blond hair sat atop his round head.   
  
"You two need to grow up." That was Remus Lupin, skeptical as always, but mirth showed in his lively, brown eyes. His brown hair with slight hints of gray was disheveled as always. I had always wondered why his hair was like that. . .Was it normal?  
  
I cast a quick glance at Jessica and saw her face turn bright red as she buried her nose in her book. I smirked slightly. No crush my ass.   
  
And then, an annoying, grating, idiotic, egotistical, fingernails-on-a-blackboard voice reached my ears. "Oh, come on, Moony, just admit it: you had fun. Why be in such denial?"   
  
James Potter. Ugh.  
  
I rolled my eyes and stood up, setting my book down. "Are you four done yet?"   
  
They all looked up, surprised, not having noticed we were there. My eyes narrowed and glinted dangerously.   
  
Potter straightened slowly, an undisguised hatred written across his face. "Evans." He spat out my name like a disease.   
  
I shrugged, not touched by his display of my last name. "Potter," I replied just as easily.   
  
"What are you doing here?"  
  
I smirked. "Same reason Jessica's here." She was already by my side, hand going to her pocket were her wand lay.   
  
They all stared.  
  
I rolled my eyes. "Oh, God. How stupid are you? It's a compartment, you nimwits! We're in one just as everyone else is. Because it's a train, and we happen to be going on this train, to school."  
  
Potter and his group glared. "Evans, just go."  
  
"Why should I?"  
  
"Because. . .It's our compartment."  
  
"Says who? Is your name written on it?"  
  
It was his turn to smirk. "Yeah." He pointed over my shoulder.  
  
I turned to look up at the ceiling.   
  
James Potter was here and always will be.  
  
"Oh, give me a break." I pulled out my wand, muttered a spell, and gave it a flick. The words erased themselves.  
  
"Hey!" Potter protested. "What'd you do that for!?"  
  
"Same reason I'm about to do this." With a shove of my foot, I knocked him back into his other friends. Waving my wand, they were thrown back out of the compartment, and the door slid safely back, locking. I grinned triumphantly.  
  
"Good one, Lils. Wish I knew Charms as well as you. I suck in that class."  
  
I shrugged, sitting back down. "Wonder how this year at school is going to be. . .?"  
  
She sighed, sitting down as well. "Probably the same as the rest. Filled with stupid gits called Potter, Lupin, Black, and Pettigrew."  
  
I smiled faintly and looked out the window as the train began moving. Time for our last year at school. I couldn't help but feel the slight pang of disappointment arise in my stomach. 


End file.
